Recipes
Olive Oil; the stuff is basically like liquid gold, so go ahead and drizzle like crazy!
Olive Oil Cake
1¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; plus more for pan1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar; plus more2 cups cake flour⅓ cup almond flour or meal or fine-grind cornmeal2 teaspoons baking powder½ teaspoon baking soda½ teaspoon kosher salt3 tablespoons amaretto, Grand Marnier, sweet vermouth, or other liqueur1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice2 teaspoons vanilla extract3 large eggs
Step 1Preheat oven to 400°F. Drizzle bottom and sides of pan with oil and use your fingers to coat. Line bottom with a round of parchment paper and smooth to eliminate air bubbles; coat parchment with more oil. Generously sprinkle pan with sugar and tilt to coat in an even layer; tap out excess. Whisk cake flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl to combine and eliminate any lumps. Stir together amaretto, lemon juice, and vanilla in a small bowl.
Step 2Using an electric mixer on high speed (use whisk attachment if working with a stand mixer), beat eggs, lemon zest, and 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar in a large bowl until mixture is very light, thick, pale, and falls off the whisk or beaters in a slowly dissolving ribbon, about 3 minutes if using a stand mixer and about 5 minutes if using a hand mixer. With mixer still on high speed, gradually stream in 1¼ cups oil and beat until incorporated and mixture is even thicker. Reduce mixer speed to low and add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with amaretto mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Fold batter several times with a large rubber spatula, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of bowl. Scrape batter into prepared pan, smooth top, and sprinkle with more sugar.
Step 3Place cake in oven and immediately reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake until top is golden brown, center is firm to the touch, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 40–50 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan 15 minutes.
Step 4Poke holes all over top of cake with a toothpick or skewer and drizzle with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil; let it absorb. Run a thin knife around edges of cake and remove ring from pan. Slide cake onto rack and let cool completely. For the best flavor and texture, wrap cake in plastic and let sit at room temperature at least a day before serving.
Step 5Cake can be baked 4 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.
Step 2Using an electric mixer on high speed (use whisk attachment if working with a stand mixer), beat eggs, lemon zest, and 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar in a large bowl until mixture is very light, thick, pale, and falls off the whisk or beaters in a slowly dissolving ribbon, about 3 minutes if using a stand mixer and about 5 minutes if using a hand mixer. With mixer still on high speed, gradually stream in 1¼ cups oil and beat until incorporated and mixture is even thicker. Reduce mixer speed to low and add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with amaretto mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Fold batter several times with a large rubber spatula, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of bowl. Scrape batter into prepared pan, smooth top, and sprinkle with more sugar.
Step 3Place cake in oven and immediately reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake until top is golden brown, center is firm to the touch, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 40–50 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan 15 minutes.
Step 4Poke holes all over top of cake with a toothpick or skewer and drizzle with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil; let it absorb. Run a thin knife around edges of cake and remove ring from pan. Slide cake onto rack and let cool completely. For the best flavor and texture, wrap cake in plastic and let sit at room temperature at least a day before serving.
Step 5Cake can be baked 4 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.
Pasta Aglio e Olio
500 gm dried spaghetti1/3 cup high quality extra virgin olive oil, like Dawn View Olive Oil8 large garlic cloves, thinly slicedkosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
optional add-ins1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes1/2 cup minced fresh flat leaf parsley1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Add the dried spaghetti to a large skillet, and cover the noodles fully with cold water. Add 2 teaspoons of kosher salt to the water. Cook over medium heat until the water begins to boil. Continue to boil for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are pliable but still al dente (slightly underdone). Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining.
When the pasta is done cooking, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, shallow pot that's large enough to hold the cooked spaghetti noodles. Add the sliced garlic, and cook for 2 minutes or until it is just starting to turn golden brown around the edges. If using the red pepper flakes, add them at this time and cook for 30 seconds more.
Carefully add the reserved pasta cooking water to the garlic and olive oil mixture and bring to a boil. And I do mean carefully -- it will spatter. Reduce the heat to a simmer for 3 minutes.
Add the drained pasta to the olive oil pasta sauce and toss to coat. Remove from the heat, and season with additional salt (if necessary) and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Toss the pasta with the minced fresh parsley and freshly grated Parmesan, as desired. Serve warm with an extra drizzle of olive oil and additional grated Parmesan cheese on the side.
Olive Oil Apple Cake with Spiced Sugar
2 sweet apples, such as Golden Delicious or Gala1/2 tsp ground ginger1 cup mild extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for pan1/2 cup plus 2 tsp (100 g plus 10 g) granulated sugar, plus more for pan1 tsp ground cinnamon1/2 tsp ground cardamom1 1/2 cups (185 g) all-purpose flour1/2 cup (100 g) (packed) brown sugar1 tsp vanilla extract2 large eggs2 egg yolks1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper2 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp kosher salt
Preheat oven to 350°F.Pour about 1 tbsp oil into a 9×5″ loaf pan and coat bottom and sides with a brush.Sprinkle granulated sugar on the sides and bottom of pan to lightly coat.Grate unpeeled apples on the large holes of a box grater.Gather apples in a clean kitchen towel and wring out excess liquid. Get them as dry as possible before they go into the batter.Whisk cinnamon, pepper, cardamom and ginger in a medium bowl.Transfer ¼ tsp spice mixture to a small bowl and set aside.Add flour and baking powder to remaining spice mixture and whisk to combine.Whisk together eggs, egg yolks, brown sugar, vanilla, salt and ½ cup granulated sugar in a large bowl. Continue whisking vigorously until lightened in colour and thickened.Whisking with one hand and pouring with the other, slowly stream 1 cup oil into egg mixture until combined.Gently fold flour mixture into whipped eggs with a rubber spatula until just combined, taking care not to overmix.Fluff up grated apples and scatter over batter. Gently fold to incorporate.Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth top.Add 2 tsp granulated sugar to reserved spice mixture and mix to combine. Sprinkle spiced sugar evenly over top of batter.Bake until deep golden brown and a tester inserted into the centre comes out clean, 60–70 minutes.Let cake cool in pan. Run an offset spatula along edge of cake to loosen and invert onto a platter.Store in an airtight container at room temperature.